The Swiss government offers numerous educational and financial opportunities for students, researchers and projects in Egypt. 

Grants

Call for proposal: Financial Assistance to the benefit of maintaining moveable cultural heritage - Type B (Projects)

Each year, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC) announces a call for proposal for the “Financial Assistance to the benefit of maintaining moveable cultural heritage - Type B (Projects)”. Applications for financial assistance to preserve cultural heritage in states that have ratified the UNESCO Convention of 1970, including Egypt,can be submitted in writing via post or email (kgt@bak.admin.ch) to the Specialised Body for the International Transfer of Cultural Property of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture.

The granting of financial assistance to the benefit of maintaining cultural heritage (art. 14 CPTA) is one of numerous measures in the Federal Act on the International Transfer of Cultural Property (CPTA) to preserve movable cultural property as cultural heritage of humankind and to protect it against theft, looting and destruction.

The following criteria apply:

Submission

• All persons and legal entities may submit an application.
• Applicants that are museums or similar institutions must comply with the “Code of Ethics for Museums” from the International Council of Museums ICOM.
• A confirmation must be included in the submission that the cultural property received or restored with the help of financial assistance will not be sold.

Project and activity location

• The project and/or activity location for projects to maintain cultural heritage “Type B” (Projects) must at a minimum take place in at least one contracting state to the 1970 UNESCO Convention.

Project types

• Projects to secure moveable cultural property from destruction and/or theft, etc. (possible project examples: securing of archaeological sites, restoration of cultural objects, safeguarding of objects);
• Cooperative projects among institutions in Switzerland and abroad to maintain moveable cultural heritage;  
• Projects to compile inventories and indices of at-risk cultural property (this type of project can include creation of inventories and data bases, digitalization of information and archives regarding movable cultural property);
• Conferences, symposiums and workshops and other measures to raise public awareness serving to protect and maintain cultural heritage (the project should relate exclusively to movable cultural property as per the law (Cultural Property Transfer Act), hence all conferences, workshops etc. have to concern movable cultural property);
• Others

For more information, kindly visit the website Financial assistance for movable cultural heritage.

Scholarships

Leading House (HES-SO): Promoting scientific collaboration between Switzerland and the MENA region

The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) commissioned the HES⁠-⁠SO as the Leading House (LH) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Its overall goal is to develop scientific collaborations between Switzerland and countries of the MENA region.

The 2021-2024 mandate of the Leading House MENA was launched on the 18^th October 2021. For the 2021-2024 period, the focus is put on research projects through the establishment of a regular instrument, the "Research partnership grants". It will be followed by a more important instrument, the "Consolidation grants", launched in the second half of the mandate.

The Leading House launches calls for research projects targeting the Swiss scientific community for cooperation with researchers from the MENA region. Calls in 2021 and 2023 led to one Swiss-Egyptian research project being funded. This new project is starting in 2024 with the German University in Cairo titled: Immersive Imperfection.

For more information, kindly visit the website  HES-SO.
Aplication form (PDF, 7 Pages, 939.7 kB, English)

ESKAS – Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Each year the Swiss Confederation through the Embassy in Egypt offers the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships to Egyptian students.

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are aimed at young researchers from abroad who have completed a master’s degree or PhD.

Egyptian students are eligible to apply for the research scholarship (research fellowship, PhD, Postdoc) which is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (who hold a master’s degree is the minimum qualification required) who are planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level. Since 1961 more than 145 talented Egyptian researchers completed an exchange at a Swiss institute of higher education with a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship. These scholarships contribute towards building lasting scientific relations between both our countries.

For more information, kindly visit the website Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.